The good, the bad, and the ugly of the Frontier

xxluckychicxx · Aug 14, 2009

Go ahead, throw it all at me.

I'm considering this for DS (stats in my siggy).

Are there any head slump issues? Horrible install issues? Any other mentionable issues?

Pics are great. I'm just sayin'

sb518 · Aug 14, 2009

I really like my Frontier now that it's installed and doesn't move. :ROTFLMAO: The thing is a beast to install but nowhere near the Regent so that's a plus. The pink cover is just cheapish and shows juice drips on it from forever ago.

Overall I like it, I would buy it again. The GN is a second close though. I detested the regent and was never a big fan of the RN.

natysr · Aug 14, 2009

There is very little head slump. Occationally Jordan's head will slump, but he will self correct it when it gets uncomfortable without any problems. I would say the head slump in the Frontier is equal to that of a forward facing marathon. it is nothing like the old style boulevard.

The install in my Honda Civic has be great with either latch or long belt path.

The short belt path has been a joke in both of my cars. I can't get it installed in the center of my pathfinder because the seatbelt is too short for the long belt path.

The mesh covers does get pulled and doesn't look nice after only a few months. The Sahara covers hold up much better, but isn't as pretty.

The cup holders are kind of hokey. They do work, but it is hard to pull them in and out.

All in all, I'm satisfied with the seat.

Sleeping

momto2princes · Aug 14, 2009

We like it.

As mentioned it can be a bit of a nightmare to install but once you have done it a few times it becomes easier.
No head slump issues here either, cup holders are ok but can be tricky to open and close. I also had issue with the Rushmore (mesh) cover but I called Britax and they are sending me the Sahara cover and harness for free so I will see what that is like when it arrives.

Overall it feels like a solid seat and my DS likes it and hasn't ever complained.

KiwiGem · Aug 15, 2009

I took a huge leap of faith with ordering my Frontiers - once I got them here to NZ, there was no option of returning them so it's a good thing I love them!

I'm not 100% happy with the SBP install in the 3rd row of my grand voyager (the belt buckle sits at an odd angle & needs to be sitting up into the belt path of the seat) but LBP in the middle row captain chairs is brilliant! But I've tried them in the Kia Sedona which I will hopefully be purchasing next week & love how many more installation options I'll have in there.

Daniel is mildly autistic & gives great details about how much he loves his Frontier. He likes the feel of the mesh, loves the head support, likes the feel of the hugs on his chest, loves how comfy his legs feel... yeah, he just loves it

My only bug with the seat would be the cup holders - they never seem to stay clicked closed & I wonder how much I'm going to love the covers in a couple of months, but we'll wait & see on that one. At the moment the covers are holding up really well with daily use & it's winter here at the moment with rain & mud etc & the covers are doing just fine.

Maia fell asleep in hers last weekend & her head rested really nicely for the hour she was sleeping against the head rest, no problems with head slump at all.

drlynne · Aug 15, 2009

[/IMG]I love it! My little boy loves it too, he lives to make faces when I take his pic. I think it's easy to install. I'd have to agree about the cup holders, they are a pain to get in and out, sometimes the whole thing comes out and you have to snap it back in. The first one I got had the twisty straps but the newest one doesn't have that problem at all. I have the red rock one, the cover seems to be fine. Oh and one thing that really urks me is the belly pad, it comes off easily over the buckle so it gets lost in the truck! My little boy falls asleep in it all the time, no head slump at all which is my favorite part of the seat and why I would definitely buy again. I'm hoping they'll have nicer covers once my little girl moves into one. HTH

tl01 · Aug 15, 2009

Don't have any pics of our Frontier on this computer but we

ours! No head slump with ours. We had the old style Blvd and got rid of it b/c of the head slump issue. I can just barely install with the SBP but get a better install with the LBP. To install the seat well it takes about 4 minutes now that I am used to it. DS loves the seat... sleeps beautifully in it on long trips. I can't really think of anything I don't like about it... though the cover does seem to be a little cheap but it is only fraying where DS puts his feet. This is not that big of an issue IMHO.

Patriot201 · Aug 15, 2009

I had one for a short period and didn't really like it or dislike it. I returned it, though, because it didn't serve any purpose for me since I already had a Nautilus (which I LOVE, by the way).

tanyaandallie · Aug 15, 2009

It has some quirks. It really does. The fabric (esp. pink sky) is just not great. The cup holders are not that great. The install is a pain and the seat is a beast. BUT, we LOVE ours. It's such a great fit for my dd. It fits big kids so well and is so darn comfy! I'd buy again for sure!

xxluckychicxx · Aug 15, 2009

Thanks everyone! It looks like this is the seat we are going to get. I'm just going to order the Sahara and hope that they come out with better covers. I hate mesh!

Any one know how much higher the Nauti's top slots are or where I can see comparison pics of the 2?

fyrfightermomma · Aug 15, 2009

I'm in the don't like it camp.

It's a beast to install. I hated that I couldn't just bring it wherever like on a trip and know it would fit at the end destination like a rental car. Or I had to bring another seat to my parents when they took the kids cause it was too much work to install. I just hated that I had a perfectly good seat that was basically stuck in my car.

I hated the straps. They were twisty and thin and slippery and annoying. My DD had head slump in it. I hated the fabric. It pilled and pulled and was scratchy.

The cupholder was stupid and no child can reach it that doesn't have monkey arms. And they don't stay closed.

Alright, enough ugly for you? How bout some good?

I wish ALL seats adjusted harnesses that way. I've never seen an easier seat to adjust a harness on. It was great for multiple kids.

It held kids a long time and turned into an excellent booster.

I loved that she could criss cross her legs in it.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for me to keep it. Unless some major changes happen I won't get another.

You'll get about 50/50 here.

Half hate it, half love it

NannyMom · Aug 15, 2009

xxluckychicxx said:
Thanks everyone! It looks like this is the seat we are going to get. I'm just going to order the Sahara and hope that they come out with better covers. I hate mesh!

Any one know how much higher the Nauti's top slots are or where I can see comparison pics of the 2?

I think it's about a 1/2 inch difference (IIRC). But which seat actually gives the child more room seems to depend on the child and the car. I know someone did a comparison with lots of seats (including the Frontier and GN), but I can't seem to find it.

tweetykl · Aug 15, 2009

I have a pic in my signature.

The thing I hate is the cover and installing in rental cars because it does not always fit. When I had my accident, it was the 3rd rental car before I got a decent fit.

WhatAboutPuppy · Aug 15, 2009

I've yet to say no to the Frontier on an install...

ok, that's a lie, I had to say no to using it in harness mode in an older car cuz the seat belt didn't lock (no ALR, just ELR) and I didn't have a way to lock the seat belt.

I've installed it without a problem in a:
2000 Subaru Outback
2003 Honda Element
2010 Mazda 3
1998 Toyota 4-Runner
2000 Chevy Silverado
uh... another Mazda rental lol
All long belt path cuz he's 50 pounds... I've yet to get a successful SBP install that held tight.

No velcro shoes here and have yet to see a snag in the red rock on either seat... bought both in like January or something... maybe longer.

firemomof3 · Aug 15, 2009

Love our Frontier

I've had no issues with long belt path on my sedona my parent's 00 Caravan. Now we're using it as a booster and its fantastic :thumbsup:

Mingie · Aug 15, 2009

We are loving the Frontier here. We have the Pink Skye and it is mesh on dd's back but the seat is plain black so no catching or pilling. DD loves being able to cross her legs(compared to the MA) and my dh is in love with how easy he can tighten dd compared to the MA also. So far so good!

Jeanum · Aug 15, 2009

Our Red Rock cover is holding up so far after over a year of intermittent Frontier usage since June 2008, with DD2 occasionally wearing velcro strapped shoes. DD2's head doesn't slump awake or asleep in it during longer road trips. The harness straps are starting to fray near the buckle tongues, though, and I need to replace it before it becomes more of an issue with a newer harness that has buckle tongues that aren't lined with metal like the original harness. The metal lined buckle tongues seems to be causing the fraying, combined with our habit of tightening and loosening the straps each trip when DD2 gets buckled up and unbuckled.

Melanie · Aug 15, 2009

Overall I'm happy with ours. To do it all again with the seats that are out right now, I'd still get the Frontier.

DD has crazy bad head slump issues. We had to give up on a RF Boulevard because of it. Her head would be at practically a 90 degree angle. She did fine RF in a Marathon because it didn't have that extra piece to push her head out. She hasn't had any problems with head slump in the Frontier. We've taken several big trips where she's slept for hours. When I compared the Nautilus and Frontier side-by-side, the Nautilus pushes the head forward a noticeable amount.

LATCH installations have been very easy. LBP is a pain, but once I get the tricks for each car down it's been easier every time.

Overall, the quality doesn't seem "Britax-ish". I'm not loving the cover. Ours is red so it doesn't show as much dirt as pink, but it's pilling. The harness is a bit twisty. I dislike having to dig the harness straps and crotch strap out every time. It would be great if it had those velcro strips like the MA/BV/DC. It doesn't have the attached compartment thing to put the end of the tether strap in. I think the cupholders are OK. I like that they can be folded away when more room is needed.

I like that it turns into a Latchable booster. It will be nice to not have to buckle the booster in when it's empty.

njkj · Aug 15, 2009

We LOVE ours. It installs great LBP in DHs Ranger and LBP and LATCH in our XL7. I hate our curent cover, but it will be replaced w/ a Sahara on monday. If you want to se IRL pics of the Sahara cover I can take some on mon after I get it.

fyrfightermomma · Aug 15, 2009

WhatAboutPuppy said:
All long belt path cuz he's 50 pounds

Just wanted to make sure you knew there are no weight limits for using SBP and LBP with the frontier. In fact when it first came out you could only use SBP. So just because he's 50 lbs doesnt mean you have to use lbp, you can use either.

The good, the bad, and the ugly of the Frontier

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